A few hours later I hear bedroom doors open and shut and I realize I can barely keep my own eyes open. After everything that happened with Ember and the long ass drive, I need to get some sleep. I try to listen and see if I can hear anything from Travis’ room, but it sounds completely still. Is he in there thinking about me? I Wonder if he's trying to figure out how to talk to me or maybe apologize for pissing me off.
He better be.
24
This whole week has been a nightmare. Adrianna is completely ignoring me, acting like I don’t exist. She’s the only one for so long that has actually given a damn about me. So having her cut me out like this is killing me. On top of that, my father is acting so fucking strange. He’s been giving me weird looks and grins like an evil mastermind whenever I come into his office. He has something planned and after the last ‘meeting’, I am scared.
It’s Saturday and that means baseball practice. I run into the kitchen and find my mother sitting at the table. Her bottle of vodka already opened in front of her. She turns at my running footsteps and a sneer comes over her face.
“The only time you look happy is when you get to play with balls with a bunch of boys.” Her laugh is downright evil, “you a faggot?”
“No!” I yell at her and grab an apple. Maybe I should tell her how her husband and I just shared a prostitute. Ew, that sounds nasty… nevermind.
Usually before practice I eat oatmeal or cereal, but I don’t see Sonja anywhere and I don’t want to be in this kitchen any longer than I have to with this woman. I run out of the kitchen and hear her nasty cackle behind me. I don’t know why I was cursed to be in this screwed up family.
I head towards Precious Blood Academy. We’ve always had our practices here, even before we actually went here. It has the best and biggest baseball field. Adrianna’s grandfather made sure of it when he had it commissioned, he was a huge baseball fan. The thought of Adri makes my stomach twist. I don’t know what I did to piss her off. Was it because we made out? Did she feel like I ruined our friendship? I don’t want to lose her completely but I don’t know if I can ever just be her friend.
“Travis!” I hear Kevin call out, “hurry, we have to do burpees!”
“Kay!”
I rush into the locker room and quickly change into my uniform. Thankfully, Sonja washed it for me. She even placed my favourite protein bar and a milkshake inside my bag. Sometimes, I wished she were my mother and not the evil hag.
I run back out to the diamond and see Kevin talking to the others. He hates warmups and burpees even more. It’s probably because he’s scrawny.
“Hey Travis,” Kevin whispers, “Jeremy isn’t here today.”
“Why not?” I ask.
“Coach says he’s sick.”
That’s weird. This past summer, Jeremy came down with Mono and he still forced himself to come and watch, even if he couldn’t participate.
After practice, I helped Coach put all the equipment away and watched as everyone left until it was just me and him. I slowly walk back to the locker room and find Coach standing near my locker. After what Stacey told me, I am having a hard time looking him in the eye.
“What’s going on, Sport?” He asks me.
“I can’t stay late anymore.” I tell him, “you should find someone else to help you put stuff away.”
“That’s too bad.” He scrubs his hand against his double chin, “I liked having you as my favourite boy.”
“Not anymore, Coach.” I give him what I think is my sternest look and head to the showers.
The warm water hits the top of my head and I let it slide down over my face. Sometimes, I can just stand under the stream without doing anything. It’s so relaxing and it feels like it just washes away all my sad thoughts.
Suddenly, I am pushed against the tiled wall, my head hitting it with a thud. I feel Coach behind me, holding me there with strength I didn’t know he had.
“Thing is, Travis.” His breath fans my ear, “I’ve been plenty patient with you, but that ends here, today.”
He kicks my legs apart and steps between them. He’s naked as well and I suddenly feel as sick as I did with that woman in my father’s office.
“Don’t, Coach.” I try to reason with him, “please. I will stay. I will help you.”
“Too late.” He growls into my ear.
I try to fight him off but he just presses my head into the tile harder and I whimper as the pain radiates down to the base of my neck.
“Stop fighting and I will ease up.” He says a little breathlessly. Coach is not in good shape but he is a lot bigger than me.
I nod slightly and let the fight leave my body. What’s the point anyways? The more I fight the bad things in my life, the more it screws me over.
He spreads me and I let my mind carry me to another place. Away from the piercing pain and the pink water swirling down into the drain.
25
I fucking hate Monday mornings. I hate having to drag myself out of bed and get to a place that I can’t fucking stand. It’s not so bad now that Adri is back in my life, but that building holds
